


Renegade

by creampiespam



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Stick It (2006)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Multi, Reylo - Freeform, Some angst, its not called gym-nice-tics, the star wars x gymnastics crossover we didn't know we wanted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:35:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22979242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creampiespam/pseuds/creampiespam
Summary: After Rey walked out of worlds, the gymnastics community thought she would never compete again. But when she gets in trouble with the law, her father sends her to the notorious Skywalker Gymnastics Academy to get her head on straight.
Relationships: Kaydel Ko Connix/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this concept on a long car ride home. after seeing no one else had done it, I knew I had to bring this into reality. 
> 
> i *think* you don't need to have seen Stick It to get this, but tbh everyone should see that movie.  
> I hope you enjoy!

Rey knew, without a doubt, this was the stupidest thing she had ever done with her friends. The empty pool that was probably never going to be filled was perfect for experimenting with new BMX tricks. The smooth, unblemished concrete bottom was heaven compared to the rough asphalt that lined the sidewalks of Jakku. But Rey knew if she landed this trick, the skaters would leave her and her friends alone to practice their tricks in peace.

The run-down housing development was beloved by many different groups in Jakku. Dealers, skaters, and delinquents alike came to the half-built neighborhood to find peace in the empty houses and silent basements. As Rey raced up the stairs to the tallest balcony of the house she wondered if her dad would be proud of the trick she was about to attempt —probably not, but it was still a lingering thought she had. The route was simple: off the balcony, down the disconnected side, and into the pool. Whoever lands for their group, gets to stay. Rey knew she had this trick in the bag, having already done it a couple of days before.

As she reached the balcony, she looked down at her friends who were sitting near the edge of the pool. Finn and Poe were the best friends Rey had ever had —they met in this very neighborhood, bonding over BMX and hating the hot, dry Jakku desert. After Rey left her old life, she slipped easily into the desert rat identity with Finn and Poe, they never asked what she did before she became friends with them and Rey preferred it that way.

"Let's go Kenobi!" Finn shouted up to Rey.

Poe nudged Finn's shoulder, "Dude, lemme see your phone."

"Why? By the time anyone gets here it's gonna be over," said Finn.

"I'm not calling anyone," Poe replied, "I'm gonna take shots of the blood bath."

The skater attempted the trick before Rey did, making it down the slide with no problem, but his board flew out from under him once he crested to the edge of the empty pool. He fell backward into the pool but managed to get back up with minimal injuries. He raised his fists in celebration, thinking he preformed the trick better than Rey was going to.

Rey smirked at him and lined up her bike to make the jump. As she raced down the slide, Rey found peace within herself as the wind whipped her face. She always found peace while in motion. Speed helped her focus, helped her quiet her mind. She lifted off of the slide, doing a perfect flip before landing in the pool. Rey raced up the side of the pool, performing another flawless flip before going back down the ramp, and up the other side of the pool. One last turn over before Rey landed upright again in the dirt that made up the back yard. She was unable to come to a complete stop, crashing through the window that faced the back yard. Rey's bike was caught in some fencing inside the house, but her body was not. She flew over the railing and onto her hands and knees. She laughed as she shook the glass off of her clothes and hair like a dog. There's no way the skaters will keep harassing the group for the bowl now.

Finn and Poe raced inside the house to make sure Rey was okay. Finn ran past Rey to open the front door for their escape. Unfortunately, this set off the house alarm.

"Now the alarm goes off?!" shouted Poe as he and Rey attempted to extract the bike from the railing.

"Guys leave it we gotta go now!" Finn hollered back as they all heard the police sirens in the distance.

Finn, Poe, Rey and the skaters were like roaches as they all ran off in separate directions. Rey hopped over the back brick wall into the back alley as the sirens got closer. She started to shed her outer layers of jackets, pads, and helmet as she ran. Rey rounded a corner and saw a slow-moving cop car, she turned around and headed up a different alley, removing her last jacket as she was left in just her Ramones shirt and baggy jeans. Her hair streamed behind her as she finally ran out onto the main road. She smiled to herself, thinking she had successfully outrun the cops again.

"You're pushing it, Kenobi." she heard behind her. The slow-moving cop car from before had finally caught up to her. Rey recognized the voice of the officer, she had caught her trespassing before. But that didn't stop Rey from running as fast as she could.

**********

"Lastly, It's about $15,000 in property damage, your honor." the arresting cop told Judge Holdo before she sat back down behind the desk. Rey rolled her eyes and slouched lower into her seat. How is a broken window worth that much?

"Ms. Kenobi, I assure you that juvie is not as fun as it sounds," Judge Holdo told Rey. "But I am willing to give you one last chance. Your father has agreed to two courses of action for you. Jakku Military Academy or a facility called... SGA."

"SGA? ARE YOU CRAZY? Your honor, please let me take her! I can keep a better eye on her than my ex seems to!" Rey's mother, Satine, chimed in from the seats behind Rey.

Obi-Wan laughed out loud, "I find that hard to believe, considering everything that went down last year." he chimed in bitterly.

"Please be quiet, both of you. This decision is up to young Ms. Kenobi." the judge calmly replied.

Rey knew SGA. She knew what it meant if she went there. She knew what people would think and say about her. Rey also knew that Jakku Military Academy was no joke. But it was preferable to SGA by a long shot.

"Jakku Military Academy, your honor," Rey replied, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"SGA it is then." Judge Holdo replied before signing the papers that were laid out in front of her.

Rey was filled with anger and underlying anxiety. How was this judge going to say it was her choice but send her somewhere that wasn't her choice? She was terrified of the fresh hell that would await her at SGA. Rey turned in her chair to look at her parents, but they were already leaving the room in a heated argument with each other.

"Ben, please tell me you're joking! SGA is NOT the place for her!" Satine proclaimed to Obi-Wan as the doors closed behind them.

Rey faced towards the front of the room again, putting her face in her hands. She wasn't going down that easily, no matter what the judge said.

**********

Rey slammed the door of her room behind her after her arresting officer dropped her off at her home. The officer was going to take Rey to SGA that evening, the stop at the Kenobi home was so Rey could pick up her clothes and anything else she'd need for the 3-hour road trip to the facility located in Ahch-To.

Rey pushed aside some medals that hung on the wall, make eye contact with a poster of herself. She had drawn a mustache and devils horns onto the old picture, it made her laugh but also soothed her bruised ego. She never thought she would step foot into a gym ever again. Rey had sworn off the sport after walking out of Worlds. Back then, Rey let everyone assume the pressure had gotten to her and caused her to choke. But that wasn't what happened. Rey hadn't, and probably would never, tell anyone the real reason she had walked out. She had been blindsided by someone she trusted, and it had shattered her world in more ways than one.

Rey opens the drawers in her dresser to start packing but found them all empty. She slammed them shut and moved to her armoire, finding it was also empty. Rey closed the doors and rested her forehead against it as she heard her door creak open.

"Where's all my shit?" Rey asked her father as he sat on the edge of her bed.

Obi-Wan pointed to a military-style rucksack that sat hidden behind the door to her room. Rey grabbed it and threw it onto the bed behind her dad, narrowly missing his head. She yanked her phone charger out of the wall socket and shoved it into the bag.

“So you’re just dumping me in some backwater town? Just giving up on me, just like that?” Rey angrily asked her dad.

Obi-Wan sighed, “Rey, you’re the one who gave up. But, I guess you learned that from your mom. I just… Rey honey, I don’t know where I went wrong.”

Rey turned to her dad, sizing him up. “Please Dad, I’m begging you. Please, please, PLEASE don’t send me to SGA.”

After another deep sigh, Obi-Wan got off of her bed and went over to her dresser, picking up a photo. It was the only photo Rey hadn’t defaced. It was from the last competition before Worlds. Obi-wan and Satine smiled at the camera with Rey in between them, a gold medal resting around her neck after the successful competition. 

“Rey, I have no idea what to do with you anymore. You used to be so kind and brave and smart, you were the best kid ever.”

“That’s funny,” Rey said as she closed the rucksack and slung it over her shoulder, “You used to be a good dad. Guess that makes us even.” 

**********

The hot Jakku sun was beginning its slow descent at Rey’s arresting officer started their drive to Ahch-To. Rey could feel hot tears starting to well up in her eyes but she refused to cry in front of anyone. The past year’s stress had accumulated into something hard for her to control and fathom. Everything that had happened to her, or because of her, was slowly becoming too much to bear. Rey wished she could talk to Finn and Poe one last time, though she couldn’t bear to tell them where she was about to end up. As if the universe was answering her prayers, the arresting officer pulled up to one of the only traffic lights in Jakku, and Rey noticed her friends seemingly waiting for her. They raced up to the car on their bikes, and Rey choked back a sob. 

“Rey, I can’t believe you didn’t name names. That’s the most baller thing you’ve done other than that sick ass trick you did before all the shit hit the fan,” Finn said as he awkwardly hugged her through the passenger window. 

“I would never do that to you guys,” she replied.

“So where are they sending you?” Poe asked.

“Uh, some uh juvie facility out of town. Yeah, apparently I’m too good for the one in town.” Rey quickly replied, too scared to tell them where she was really going. 

“Can we visit you soon?” Finn asked. The lights in Jakku never stayed one color for long the group knew their time together was going to be cut short sooner rather than later. 

Rey laughed and playfully punched Finn in the shoulder, “Yeah to bust me out.”

“Consider it done friendo,” Poe replied. Reaching into his backpack, he threw his Nintendo switch into Rey’s lap, “Here, so you don’t die of boredom your first week. Also, I’ll text you the sweet pics I got of that jump, that shit was legen-wait for it...”

The light turned green, Rey leaned out of the window and waved goodbye to her friends, “DARY!” she shouted to Poe and Finn as they got smaller and smaller in the distance.

**********

“Anybody home?” Rey asked the empty gym. She knew no one would be here, this building had seemed the least intimidating of the sprawling campus. The arresting officer had dropped her off with a quick ‘don’t do anything stupid’ and left her alone with her bags.

Rey walked further into the empty gym, the smell of chalk and old sweat filled her nose and made her eyes water. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Rey walked onto the mat. It gave underneath her, a familiar sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time. As she looked around the room, dread filled her. The uneven parallel bars mocked her from the corner of the large space, the beam seemed to tease her, and the vault silently called her a stupid bitch. Rey quickly backed out of the room, grabbing her rucksack and slamming the doors behind her. Making her way towards the large white building, she went through some scenarios of what could happen once she faced everyone. Readying herself for the inevitable worst, she opened the doors to the main gym space. 

Girls dressed in neon workout gear and leotards worked on different skills all over the gym. Rey recognized a few of them, old team members or competitors. Layouts on the trampolines, back handsprings on the beam, running and expertly flipping over the vault. Rey hoped she could just sneak through and hide out in some back hallway where no one would recognize her or try to strike up a conversation. 

SGA, or Skywalker Gymnastics Academy. Rey had competed against their teams in the past. The owner of the gym was known for competing in the 1984 Olympics in Canto Bight, as his father had before him in the 1940s. After winning silver, he mysteriously vanished, only to open a gym for the sport he competed in 20 years later in his family’s name. 

“Ah, Kenobi. Please, join us.” Luke Skywalker called from the middle of the floor. Everyone was silent as Rey slowly made her way over to him.

“Ladies, Rey Kenobi has decided to come out of retirement and join our team. We are going to welcome her with open arms and zero judgment for the fact that she is unbelievably out of shape.”

The only thing worse than having no control over her life was being forced to live it with people who hated Rey with a deep-seated passion. Rey hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Luke Skywalker before this fiasco, and she had hoped to keep it that way. Every eye in the gym was on her as she finally stood beside him. The other coaches seemed confused as to why Rey was here, apparently Luke hadn’t warned everyone of her arrival… Fan-fucking-tastic. 

“What the fuck is the renegade doing here?” asked Jessika Pava. Jessika and Rey had competed together for years, training at the same gym that Rey went to Worlds with. Being honest with herself, Jessika was the last person Rey had thought she was going to see here. Jessika took hating Rey to the next level, something Rey honestly admired her for. 

The male coach quickly turned to her, “Pava, language. Go do 50 pull-ups and watch the attitude,” He turned to Rey and extended his hand, “I’m Cassian, it’s nice to meet you, Rey.”

Rey stared at his hand like it was a double-headed snake. Cassian dropped it quickly and pointed to the woman standing beside him, “This is Jyn, my wife and fellow coach. We work with the women’s teams, we’re looking forward to you showing us what you got.”

Jyn did a sup nod at Rey then walked over to Luke, whispering in his ear. Rey rolled her eyes, knowing it was probably something about her attire or her attitude or just the fact she was even here in the first place. She had an idea of what she was walking into. When you walk out of Worlds and force the team to forfeit, everyone hates you. Hating Rey was a part of the sport itself now. 

Luke finally turned to Rey, “Go get dressed and we’ll see what we’ve got to work with.”

“Oh, yeah about that. I burned all my leotards. Sorry.” Rey pointed down to her baggy shorts and sweatshirt, “This is all I have.” Rey shrugged and tried not to laugh out loud at the appalled faces of the other girls in the gym.

“Well lucky for you, we have team leotards in the office.” he pointed up to a room that had windows looking out over the floor. “Go grab one. Now.” He clearly wasn’t going to put up with Rey’s shit.

Rey unceremoniously dropped her rucksack on the mat and made her way towards the stairs, muttering profanities to herself. As she made her way up the stairs, he looked over her shoulder down to the floor where everyone was still looking at her. Two of the girls smiled at Rey as her eyes pass them, and she blushed. She wasn’t expecting or hoping anyone was to be friendly to her. Rey finally made it to the top of the stairs where she could see a dark-haired man sitting in the office with his back towards her. 

Rey shoved the door open, not caring if she was disturbing the man who was hunched over lesson plans. He removed the headphones he had in his ears as he turned to face her, Rey could hear Journey blaring from them from across the office. 

“Well, if it isn’t the girl I’ve heard so much about.” He stood up from his chair and Rey took in a quick breath. He was broad and unbelievably tall, muscles rippling under his red SGA polo and black track pants. He extended his hand towards her, “I’m Ben. I’m the children’s coach so this will probably be the only time we meet.”

Rey took his hand and admired how small it made hers feel. She cleared her throat, “I... uh…” she seemed to forget why she had come up to the office in the first place, Ben’s eyes had her in a trance she couldn’t quite shake off.

“Spit it out Kenobi, I don’t have all day. Do you even speak?”

“Need leotard. Burned all mine.” she quickly mumbled after finally remembering why she came up to the office. 

“Ah, you do?” he turned and open a large cabinet that had rack and racks of leotards on it. He grabbed a black and red one and handed it to her. “This is a comp leo from a couple of years back. You can hold onto it until we order new ones for the team.”

Rey took the leotard from Ben’s hands and made her way to the bathroom. She shed her baggy layers and squeezed into the leotard. Looking in the mirror, Rey noticed that she still looked as fit as she did when she went to Worlds. With that thought she closed her eyes, trying not to cry. Picking up her discarded clothes and making sure her ass wasn’t hanging out, Rey went back downstairs. She quickly shoved her clothes into her rucksack and threw her hair up into a ponytail. 

“You warmed up?” Luke asked.

“What, to you? No.” Rey sarcastically replied. 

“Stretch and join the others for rotations. Let’s see where you’re at.”

Rey made her way over to the edge of the mat where the two girls who smiled at her were stretching out.

“Hey! I’m Kaydel,” said the blonde girl as she waved at Rey, she pointed at the girl sitting beside her who was listening to her iPod. “This is Rose. We’re sorry Jessika is on one today, she took out her anger about the new uniforms on you and it’s like so not fair.” 

Rey tried not to scoff out loud, she knew Jessika wasn’t being a raging cunt just because of some leotard. Rey stretched her shoulders and legs as she walked over to the end of the vault mat.

“We’re warming up Yurchenkos,” Rose cheerily said to her as they lined up for the practice runs. 

“Awesome sauce!” Rey replied in a disgustingly sticky-sweet voice, “I’m going for the butt-ahara.”

“Um, do you mean the Tsukahara?” Kaydel chimed in politely.

Rey shot her an exasperated look as she prepared for her run. 

Rey made a large show of stretching her arms out one last time before letting out a deep breath. Running sloppily down the runway, she flapped her arms into her body, jumping onto the springboard and landing sitting on the vault. Everyone looked at her with mixed reactions, Kaydel and Rose struggled to keep in their giggles while Jyn and Cassian rolled their eyes at her not following directions. Luke rubbed his chin and sighed deeply as if this whole thing was a huge waste of his time-- because it was. Rey looked up to the office and saw Ben seemingly laughing from inside the office, Rey was glad she couldn’t actually hear him. 

Rey jumped off the vault and sat down on the edge of the platform. 

“I know, I know-- my landing was off! But considering I haven’t done this is almost two years, I think I did wonderfully,” she told Luke as he stood beside her. 

“No worse than I’ve seen you do before,” Luke said as he waved over the other coach, “Cassian can help you out with that.” He pointed between Rey and Cassian and before she could protest, Cassian had Rey over his shoulder like a rag doll.

“Ugh, you better not fart,” Rey whined. “I’ll get pink-eye for a week.” She felt Cassian’s body shake with laughter. 

**********

Luke led the three of them back to the empty gym she had first gone to. Cassian dropped Rey onto the floor mat and she landed with a grunt. Rolling over she rubbed her arms and stood up quickly. 

“You’re in my world now Rey,” Luke said to her as he dismissed Cassian. “You may not like it here, or like me for that matter. But in my world, you will respect my rules.”

“Respect?” Rey laughed loudly, “You respect people by manhandling them like a sack of potatoes?”

Luke rubbed his face exasperatedly, “Jesus Christ this is gonna be fun. You really are just like your dad warned me."

Rey glared at him when he mentioned her dad. She was vaguely aware her dad knew Luke, she couldn’t remember how though. Obi-Wan had been the last thing on her mind since she got to the facility, but now the anger fueled her again to a new height.

“Don’t talk about my fucking Dad, okay? He gave up on me and stuck me with you. If anything, you should blame him for my attitude, not me.” 

Luke continued, “We have rules for a reason, Rey. Rules for training, for conduct inside and out of the gym. We can do this the easy way or we can just call your arresting officer and she can take you to juvie, how does that sound?”

Rey rolled her eyes and got up, taking a seat on the narrow beam. 

“We have rules and coaches because this is gymnastics. Not that dumb BMX shit you were doing while you weren’t competing. Danger and risk if the reality of this sport, but we try to be as calculated, and as safe,” he emphasized, “as possible. You can’t be calculated if you don’t respect the rules laid out for you.”

Rey rolled her eyes again, harder than she thought possible. Coaches always tried to control her in ways she didn’t understand. Even when she was at the top of her game there was always a reason she couldn’t go as hard as she wanted. 

Luke pushed her off the beam.

“Laws like gravity for instance!” He waited for Rey to stand again before he continued his speech. “I want you back here at 10 am, ready to train. No exceptions. If you’re even a minute late, I’m calling the judge and you can go back to Jakku.”

Rey walked around the beam and towards the door. “If you keep your expectations low, you won’t be disappointed.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey tries to settle in at the team house. Will she be able to get along with her new roommates, or will her inability to accept her current situation get in the way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Rey and Ben interaction in this chapter is *chefs kiss*
> 
> Enjoy!

Rey walked to the small house where the oldest team members stay. Dragging her bag behind, she kicked up rocks and cursed the sky, wondering how she was going to get herself out of this mess. She promised herself she would never compete again, but clearly that wasn’t going to work with her new coaches. Rey sighed, hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, and walked up the stairs into the house.

She was greeted by loud pop music and the smell of Italian food. Must be a carb-loading night. Rey didn’t mind, she never said no to food, and she hadn’t eaten since before she arrived at SGA. Walking into the living room, she saw Rose and Kaydel setting up a dinner table in an adjacent room. Salads and breadsticks in the center of the table were surrounded by mismatched placemats, plates, and silverware. 

“Hey, Rey! Dinner is just about done, there’s an empty room upstairs if you wanna put your bag down and change!” Rose called from the kitchen, noticing her before anyone else did. The other girls either ignored Rey completely or sent her death stares. Kaydel reached out to help Rey with her bag, but she turned quickly and ran up the stairs as fast as she could. 

When she got to the second floor, Rey wished she had asked exactly which room was available. There were several doors, most of them had whiteboards with names on them. Rey decided to try one of the doors without a board on it. When she opened the door, she realized it was a bathroom. Jessika was standing in front of the mirror, drying her long black hair. Rey and Jessika made eye contact in the mirror, and Rey quickly shut the door. 

Leaning up against the wall, Rey let out a deep breath. This was gonna be hard, living in a house where most of her roommates hate her. Opening the other door, Rey found a small bedroom for herself. A queen-sized mattress sat on top of a box spring on the floor. A floor lamp with a ripped shade sat next to it, a clothing rack placed by the opposite wall with a full-length mirror also beside it. Throwing her bag across the room towards the rack, Rey flopped onto the bed. Closing her eyes, she let the stress of the day permeate through her. 

A quiet ringing starting coming from her bag, Rey crossed the room and fished her phone out of one of the pockets. Finn’s face filled the screen with his contact photo, calling her. Smiling, Rey laid back down on the bed and picked up. 

“Hey, Finn! Is Poe with you?”

“Friendo, you’re alive! We were so scared that the officer was gonna drop you off in the middle of the desert for dead!” Poe hollered from somewhere in the background of the phone call. 

“Rey, are you okay?” Finn asked quietly.

Sighing, Rey tried to think of an answer that would be truthful but also wouldn’t reveal where she really was to her friends.  
“It’s been a long day, I’m so happy I can talk to you guys though,” she said finally.

“Dude, how did you sneak your phone in?” Poe asked, “I thought juvie was super strict about that? Also, did they take my switch? I’m gonna be honest, I kinda regret giving that to you, I wish I ha-” 

Finn cut Poe off, “What he really means is we miss you so much Kenobi. We’re gonna try to visit you soon okay?” 

“Uh it’s okay, you guys don’t have to do that... It’s a long drive anyways...” Rey knew if her friends came to visit her, she’d have a hard time explain the lack of jumpsuits and barbwire. 

“Rey, you’re our best friend,” Finn said, “and we’d do anything for you.”

Poe added, “Well, except take the fall for property damage. That’s all you.” 

The trio laughed and said their goodbyes. Afterward, Rey wiped a stray tear off her cheek, knowing she was so thankful to have friends like Finn and Poe. She got up and noticed herself in the mirror, realizing she was still wearing the comp leo from earlier. She quickly undressed and grabbed a band tee and yoga shorts out of her bag. Making her way downstairs, Rey prepared herself for dinner with her roommates.

Luckily enough for Rey, it was just Kaydel and Rose sitting at the table. The other girls had elected to eat outside together. Presumably away from Rey so they could gossip. Kaydel smiled at Rey as she sat down.

“Did you find your room okay?” Rose asked as she passed the breadsticks around. 

“Hm, yeah I did,” replied Rey. “Not before walking in on Jessika in the bathroom first.”

“Oh yikes, was she waxing her bush? I walked in on her doing that and I think I’m scarred for life.” laughed Kaydel. Rose choked on her water and playfully slapped Kaydel on her shoulder. The trio was quiet as they ate their food. 

“So are you gonna train with us tomorrow, Rey?” Kaydel asked after basically inhaling her plate of food.

Rey burst out laughing. And kept laughing. Laughing was always a stress reliever for Rey, especially with her friends from Jakku. But after the whole property damage fiasco, laughing was just a short step away from crying. So Rey laughed instead.

Rose and Kaydel made eye contact over Rey’s hunched over form, wondering if maybe she walked out of Worlds because she was unhinged. Rey sat back up and took a sip of water, finally over her hysterics.

Changing the subject, Rey finally spoke again. “So what’s the deal with the kid’s coach, Ben?”

“Ben? He introduced himself to you as... Ben?” Kaydel quickly asked.

“Uh… yeah? Is that weird or something?” 

“I mean kinda,” Kaydel replied as she started to clear the dishes from the table. “Solo is my adoptive brother, in the years I’ve known him, he’s only introduced himself as Solo.”

“Oh, you’re adopted too?” Rey asked.

“Yeah! My mom and dad are super cool. My dad is a private airline pilot and my mom is a Senator. They travel a lot so that’s why Ben and I live here. Well, I live here, Ben lives in a studio apartment above the old gym.” 

“Oh uh…” Rey didn’t really like talking about her parents so she decided not to offer any of that information up. “Cool. He seemed, nice I guess.” 

“He’s gotten a lot better since he stopped training at First Order athletics.”

“He trained at First Order too?” Rey was confused, in all the years she trained under Snoke, she had never known Ben.

“I think he left before we all aged into our level,” Rose added from her place at the sink while she washed dishes with Kaydel.

Kaydel added, “It was a big deal for him, he doesn’t talk about it much but I know that his time off after he left helped him come back down to earth.” 

Rey sat back in her chair. She knew there was a steroid dosing scandal with Snoke before she trained with him. She never knew who it was or what exactly happened since whoever it was was underaged at the time so details were private, but with this new information, more things were starting to make sense.

Rey added her dishes into the sink and went upstairs to her room. While getting ready for bed, she wondered if Ben knew she trained with Snoke too. 

**********

The next morning, Rey sat outside Luke’s office waiting for him. Moms sat around in the area outside the office, waiting for lessons to either end or begin. It was 10:13 before he finally waltzed up the stairs to his office.

“I’ll be right with you Rey, I got some meetings first.” He called out to her as he ushered one of the moms into his office, shutting the door behind him. 

Luke was selling his program harder than a used car salesman. Speaking of his program, Rey could see Ben coaching the younger kids from her vantage point beside the door to Luke’s office. He smiled while teaching, letting the kids crawl over him like a tree. It made her smile but after her conversation with Kaydel, she wanted to speak with Ben about Snoke.

After almost an hour of Luke buttering up moms, he finally walked out of the office.

“You sure do have a lot of people going to the Olympics. What country are they gonna represent, State of Delusion?” Rey crassly asked her coach as they walked down the stairs. Rey was startled by booming laughter, looking over and seeing Ben laughing at her joke from across the mat. She looked down and blushed, she didn’t think she had spoken that loudly. 

“Go stretch or something, get outta my sight before I called your arresting officer,” Luke stated as he walked towards the main doors of the gym, putting an end to any of Rey’s arguments.

Rey flopped onto the mat. Opening up her Spotify, she selected a Pink Floyd album that always made her feel better. She let the music play while she pretended to make snow angels on the carpet. Her thoughts raced at a hundred miles a minute, maybe if she could go back in time and just accept the fact the skaters wanted to use the swimming pool, she wouldn’t be in Ahch-To surrounded by people who hate her. 

Speaking of, the rest of her… teammates, she supposes she should call them, begin to file into the gym after workouts outside. Rey could hear their chatter over the sounds of Comfortably Numb playing from her phone. 

“Luke!” Jessika hollered into the gym, “When can we finally stop wearing long-sleeved leotards? I need to look my best for championships! Every college will be scouting me!”

Rey scoffed louder than she meant to, and Jessika shot daggers towards her. 

“Not that you have to worry about that.” she sneered at Rey. 

Rey sat up onto her knees quickly, retort at the ready, “A new leotard will definitely distract the judges and scouts from your total lack of talent.”

“Why are you even talking to me? After you choked at Worlds, I’m surprised you could even show your face here after you royally fucked us.” Jessika shot back.

“Don’t talk to your teammates like that, Pava.” 

Jessika and Rey turned to see Ben staring at them with his arms crossed in front of his chest, wholly unamused at their fight. Rey sat back off of her knees and accepted the talking down. 

“Are you kidding me?” Jessika screeched, “She totally started it, I was just defending myself from her antics! It’s not my fault she’s a crazy bitch who can’t compete.” 

“Okay, that’s fucking it.” Rey could take some clap backs better than the rest of them, but even Rey had a bullshit threshold. She jumped up and grabbed Jessika’s ponytail. She pushed Jessika down and sat on her chest, still holding a fist full of her hair. 

“Not so tough now huh Jessika?!” Rey screamed in the scared girl’s face. Rey had never felt so feral in her life, not since Worlds at least. Before she could get a hit in as she planned, she felt a strong arm around her waist as she was hauled off of Jessika. 

“ENOUGH BOTH OF YOU,” Luke yelled at the screaming girls as he jogged back over. “Jessika, 150 pull-ups and crunches, then go practice with Jyn. And you!” He turned and pointed to Rey, who was still trying to get out of Ben’s grip. “Ben, take her to the other gym and bring her back after she’s cooled down.”

Ben, not releasing Rey from his grasp, walked them both out of the main gym and into the deserted one. 

“Get the fuck off of me!” 

“If you chill out I’ll let you down.” Ben calmly replied.

Rey shut up and allowed him to set her down on the mat in between two beams. She sat on one of the beams and Ben leaned against the one opposite. Glaring at him, she tried to decide between picking a fight with him or just shutting up.

“I hate the way they talk to me.” she finally admitted. 

“I get that, believe me. But that doesn’t mean you can go ape shit every time they say something you don’t agree with.” he pointed out. 

“Jessika has always known how to push my buttons. Even when we were younger. It’s a miracle I didn’t kill her before today.”

Ben laughed loudly at that, and Rey blushed and laughed with him. She had never really paid attention to guys before, she honestly thought it was because Finn and Poe were so obnoxious that they deterred her completely. But there was something different about Ben. Maybe because they both trained with Snoke, but there was a certain attitude he carried that reminded her of herself. 

Ben stood up fully and offered his hand to Rey. “You gotta start training with everyone else and I have to go prepare a lesson plan.”

Rey took his hand and hopped off the beam, they walked towards the door, not realizing they were still holding hands. Rey looked down at them and blushed again, god why did that keep happening to her? 

“Uh.. hey Ben?” Rey quietly asked. 

“Yeah Rey, what’s up?”

“Do you think we could talk later? Maybe after dinner?” looking up expectantly, she notices just how many moles and freckles he had on his face. 

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” he replied with a small smile.

**********

“POINT YOU TOES, LADIES! We don’t want to give away deductions if we can help it.” Jyn yelled to the girls working their circuits. Rey sat off to the side of the beam where Jessika was working a simple routine. Rey wanted to laugh at it, it looked very familiar to her. Jessika dismounted and Rey slow clapped for her.

“Deja-jealous Rey? We trained together for how long?”

Rey slowly approached her, “Too long, that’s for sure.” Jessika took a step back, clearly still wary of her opponent/teammate. 

“He only gave you that much attention because you know, you sucked.”

“Yeah, you’re right Jessika. I sucked my way to worlds.” Rey bit back, trying not to lose her cool again. 

“And then you choked. What a way to go.”

Rey immediately stopped what she was doing. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jyn and Cassian eyeing them, ready to break up another fight. 

Rey turned on her heel and jumped up onto the beam. “You know what really sucked Jessika, was your beam routine. It was so… Cookie-cutter. And plain.” Rey laughed, “Wow, much like you! That makes sense.”

Jyn chimed in from the sidelines “Hey! I choreographed that routine”

“Your secret is safe with me don’t worry.” Rey snidely remarked. Cassian laughed and Jyn punched him in the stomach.

Rey started to go through Jessika’s routine with perfect recall, making sure to overexaggerate her facial expressions and movements. 

“Rose?” She made the phone hand symbol and put it up to her own ear. 

“Hey, Rey! What’s up?” She said ‘picking up’ the phone.

“Can you tell Jessika I’m gonna show her how a real... What did she call me? OH YEAH, a renegade, performs a real dismount”

“Hey Jessika, Rey said she’s gonna show you a real dismount,” Rose said sheepishly to the other girl.

“How about a double back?” Rey said as she lined up to make the difficult move.

“If you throw a double back before you’ve trained I’m making everyone run,” Luke called while walking across the mat towards the girls.

Rey looked around the room, everyone’s eyes on hers. She knew she had to throw it now. It had been a while since she completed this particular trick, but she knew she wouldn’t hurt herself horribly if she fucked it up. She looked up to the balcony and saw Ben looking down on her. Unable to tell if he had a look of horror or excitement on his face, she threw the trick.

Like riding a bike, tumbling came easy to Rey. That’s why she loves gymnastics so much… Well… Loved. Even as her feet left the beam, and even though she didn’t quite stick the landing, her heart was filled with joy. Flying through the air was when Rey felt the calmest. 

“Someone, share our mantra with Rey. Please, before I have a stroke.” Luke threw his water bottle across the gym, away from everyone else. 

“Clean, safe routines. Guaranteed to stick.” Kaydel called from the uneven parallel bars. 

“That’s correct. Now, everyone get up. We’re running until that mantra is the only thing you think.” said Luke.

“Eh, no thanks.” replied Rey “I’m kinda tired.”

“LADIES, OUTSIDE NOW!”

**********

Luke made the girls run for almost two hours. Well, everyone but Rey. She sat on a nearby picnic table, watching them sweat it out while playing with Poe’s Switch. Even Kaydel and Rose were shooting her dirty looks as they ran back to the house after Luke let them go. Rey sat back and watched the sunset from the bench, not ready to face her roommates. 

As she made her way back to the house, she wondered if Ben would still be willing to talk to her. She didn’t see him after the stunt she pulled-- but it’s not like she was actively seeking him out. Rey still wasn’t sure how she felt about him. Confused was a good word for it. 

Walking up the steps of the front porch, Rey almost gave herself a concussion on the door. It didn’t budge when she tried to open it. She knocked a few times, knowing everybody had already made their way inside. 

No one opened the door for her. She knocked harder.

“Guys? Seriously, what the fuck, open the door.” Rey yelled into the wood of the door.

A window opened from the second floor and Kaydel stuck her head out.

“Kaydel! Can you open the door? I think it’s jammed.” Rey called up.

“Yeah… no, it’s not. Sorry Rey, but what you did today was super uncool.” Kaydel closed the window. 

Rey kicked a fence post and sat on the steps of the porch. She reached into her pocket for the switch but remembered it died shortly after the sunset. She threw her head back and looked up at the sky. In the desert, you can always see the stars. But the woods that surrounded the property covered most of the sky, hindering her view. Rey wanted to cry. At least this time she was alone. Just as her tears started to roll down her cheek, a red convertible pulled up in the driveway in front of the house. Ben leaned over the door and raised his eyebrows.

“Tough crowd huh?”

Rey quickly tried to wipe her face clean of the wetness. “I just wanted to eat dinner and go to sleep. Guess I’ll sleep in the gym or something.”

“I was gonna go get dinner at the local diner, do you wanna join me? We can have that talk you mentioned earlier.” He patted the passenger seat beside him.

Rey hesitated. She wasn’t sure if this was the best idea, but she was also sure she wanted a meal right now.

She shrugged her shoulders, “Why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I was gonna upload this tomorrow but I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Moving sucks! Anyways, some of the formatting isn’t exactly how I wanted it since i’m uploading this from my phone’s browser so I’ll go back and edit later.
> 
> May The Force Be With You.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey sit down for a chat.

The diner was a small train car parked by the side of the road a couple of miles away from SGA. It didn’t seem particularly busy at 8 pm, but Rey knew it was a small town anyways. Ben walked in and immediately sat in a booth near the back, Rey followed behind him and sat opposite him in the booth.

After ordering and eating most of their meal in silence, Ben was the one who spoke first. 

“So, I guess college gymnastics is totally out of the question, huh?”

“Yeah…” Rey shrugged, “I promised myself I would never train or compete again.”

Ben sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, “Even if it means making enough money that you can pay back your legal fees?”

“Even then.”

“So, you’re just gonna fuck around until Luke kicks you out and you get sent to juvie? And kiss 18 goodbye?”

“I’m 19 actually.” Rey shot back while tearing up her straw wrapper into tiny pieces.

“You know what I meant.. Rey, please I’m trying to have a conversation with you,” Ben swiped her straw pieces off the table. “The least you could do is attempt to pay attention.”

Rey threw the rest of the wrapper on her plate and looked Ben in the eyes for the first time since the conversation started. Wondering what he could possibly have to say, she motioned for him to continue. 

“The IG Classic is coming up in a couple of months. You place high enough, you’ll win enough money to get out of here. If that’s what you really want.”

Scoffing, she shot back, “What do you mean if that’s what I really want? How would anyone know what I want? No one asks me. They just assume to know what I’m thinking and why I do what I do or why I…”

“Why you what, Rey?” he asked her quietly.

Rey knew she wasn’t ready for this conversation. She had a hard enough time admitting to herself why she left Worlds, let alone actually saying it out loud, especially someone who intimidates and confuses her as Ben does.

“I know how hard it can be to come back to a sport that chewed you up and spat you back out. Especially when it was Snoke who was in charge of your training. He’s ruthless and cruel, but Luke…” Ben let out a long sigh. “Look, Luke isn’t gonna make you do something you don’t wanna do. But you have got to give at least half a shit if you wanna get out sooner rather than later. Besides, competing, winning, and showing up all your haters is a much better revenge than trying to physically fight them.”

Rey put her head on the tabletop and closed her eyes. She knew deep down that he was right. Proving everyone wrong would be the best revenge. When she finally looked back up at Ben he was standing up. 

Ben threw down some money onto the table and motioned for Rey to follow him. “Rey, I may not know what went down at Worlds. And you don’t have to tell me. But when you’re ready to show everyone how wrong they are… Well, Cassian, Jyn, and Luke will be more than happy to help you out. You just have to help yourself first.”

They walked out of the diner and Ben grabbed Rey’s shoulder, pointing down the road. “You’ll follow this road until the gas station, hang a right and then SGA is a couple of miles down that road.”

“I know where the gym is, why are you telling me?”

“Because you need to decide Rey. It’s a long enough run. Have fun.” Ben got into his car and drove off, leaving Rey in the dust. 

**********

Rey walked most of the way home last night. The cool air of the surrounding forest let Rey organize her thoughts better. She weighed out her options out, but in the end, she knew that her new coaches were right. Winning enough money would really help Rey in the long run, she could even win enough to finally move away from Jakku. The door to the team house was thankfully unlocked by the time she got back. She fell into her bed and didn’t wake until sunrise. She could hear her teammates downstairs getting ready for the day. Rey rolled out of bed and threw on yet another band t-shirt and baggy shorts, forcing her bed head into her favorite style of three buns. 

Rey waited for the rest of her roommates to leave before she came downstairs. She grabbed a banana and a protein bar, shoving them in her mouth as she walked out the front door. Following the sounds of her team running, she walked a path past the main gym. She found Luke sitting on a riding lawn mower while Cassian and Jyn ran the workout for the rest of the young women. 

“Ah, I’m so glad you could join us,” Luke said over his shoulder when he heard Rey stop behind him. “Are you going to start participating now?”

“Look, if I’m going against literally everything I believe in, I’m not struggling in front of everyone else. I wanna train by myself in the old gym. I’ll participate in workouts but I’m working on my shit by myself.”

The older man turned in his seat and smirked at Rey. “What changed your mind?”

“I’m helping myself,” she mumbled.

“What was that? I’m so old now my hearing is starting to go.”

“Please, just… ” she tried to brush off his question, “I just wanna get out of here as quickly as possible okay?”

Luke turned back around and shrugged. “Suit yourself. Now go join the workout. Don’t make me regret this Kenobi.”

Rey groaned and jogged over to where Cassian and Jyn were standing.

“Well look what the cat dragged in!” Cassian clapped his hands as Rey sheepishly walked over.

“Did Solo finally talk some sense into you?” Jyn asked.

“Huh? Oh uh... Yeah, I guess.”

Jyn continued, “We’re doing running drills then we’ll be heading into the gym to run circuits.”

“Luke said I could train by myself in the old gym. Just tell me what you’re gonna work on and I’ll do it.”

Cassian looked back at Luke then shrugged his shoulders, “Alright then, when we’re done here I’ll be happy to get you started myself.”

**********

After the hellish workout, Cassian explained the circuits the team does, then he left Rey to get started. Knowing if she didn’t get started immediately she would procrastinate, she threw herself into training. Feeling the burn in her muscles while ripping open new blisters and calluses was a good reminder that this pain was something Rey did not miss. Countless times she ate shit on the mat, but she got back up every time. The speaker system in the gym blasted Led Zepplin as she honed her skills. By the time she had listened through Houses Of The Holy three times, Rey could barely move anymore.   
Laying on the mat, she could hear the sound of young voices filtering into the gym as the doors opened and closed over and over. It was probably time for the after school classes to get started. Rey groaned as she slowly rolled over onto her side, seeing a group of girls huddled together, whispering as they stared at her with wide eyes. One girl was pushed to the front and she began to slowly walk over to Rey.

“Can I help you?” Rey said as the young girl approached.

“Uh… my friends were wondering if it’s true you came back to compete again.” the girl meekly inquired.

“Yeah, it’s true,” Rey grumbled back while sitting up.

“And we’re very fortunate that someone as powerful as Kenobi decided to join our gym, isn’t that right Annie?” Rey turned and saw Ben approaching them. He offered Rey his hand, and she took it to stand up.

“Coach Solo is she gonna train with us?” asked Annie.

“Maybe one day, but for now she has to leave so we can get started,” Ben helped Rey off the mat and lead her to the door. “I hate to kick you out but it’s already hard enough to get them to focus.”

“I get it. Don’t worry.”

“There’s an ice machine behind the team house, I suggest a long soak or training will be impossible for you tomorrow.”

Rey looked up at Ben, noticing how his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She wanted to touch his soft-looking hair or push it out of his eyes, but it was already tied back in a half-up bun. His broad shoulders looked nice in his black coaches polo, his legs looked 18 miles long in his usual track pants.

“Uh, Rey?”

Rey realized she was staring for way too long and blushed. She ripped her phone off of the auxiliary cord, grabbed her water bottle and tried to sprint out of the door. This was hard, considering how much her muscles were screaming at her for rest, but she pushed her body to move faster. Once she was finally out of the gym, she slowed to a walk, looking over her shoulder to see Ben watching her through the window of the door.

Walking up the steps of the front porch, Rey readied herself for the usual judgemental glares of her roommates. However, when she got inside, only Rose was sitting in the living room. Rey flopped down onto the living room floor and let out a deep sigh.

“How did training go?” Rose asked while she scrolled through her phone.

“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to move. Like, ever again.”

Rose laughed and set her phone down, “If you can promise not to be a dick for the rest of the evening I’ll set up an ice bath for you.”

Rey turned her head and looked at the girl on the couch. She knew she had been a cunt to the other girls for no real reason, but making friends was always hard for Rey. Rey slowly sat up and faced Rose.

“Rose, I wanna apologize for being a royal asshole. You and Kaydel were just trying to be nice and I acted like a prick.”

“Oh don’t worry about Kaydel, she can dish it out and take it. Growing up with Solo gave her tough skin. Me, however, I’m gonna need lots of apologies, groveling and begging,” she laughed at Rey’s face of apprehension. “Kidding, but I get it. My older sister always said that if someone lashes out, there’s a reason behind it. I don’t know what happened to you at Worlds, but I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt because I believe you can be better than the way you’ve acted so far.”

Rose got off the couch and went through the back door, presumably to get ice. Rey stood up and slowly crawled up the stairs. When she got to her bedroom door, she saw someone had written “Rey The Renegade” with flames on the whiteboard. Rey rolled her eyes and pushed the door open. She stripped out of her sweaty t-shirt and gross shorts, standing in only her underwear. She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing how the sweat gleamed in the valleys of her muscles. Rose knocked on her door to let Rey know the ice bath was ready.

Rey walked down the hall and into the bathroom. Sinking slowly into her ice bath, she was thankful Rose and Ben had suggested it. The frigid water was both heaven and hell for Rey. She tried to relax lower into the tub, allowing all of her aching muscle groups to soak in the water. Rey knew she couldn’t sit in the water for more than 8 minutes, so she eased herself back out of the water. Dripping wet, she pulled the plug out of the drain, grabbed a towel from the shelf and tried to rub heat back into her body. When she was finally warm again, Rey went back to her room. Changing into some running shorts and a different sports bra, she felt a little bit better than she had before. 

After braiding her hair back, Rey went downstairs to scavenge up some dinner for herself. When she walked into the kitchen she found Rose and Kaydel kissing.

“Oh shit,” Rey blushed and tried to look anywhere but the two girls. “Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Kaydel laughed and put her arm around Rose’s shoulder. “It’s fine. We were just about to leave anyway. We’re eating dinner at Ben’s apartment.”

“Oh. That sounds fun. Is there anything in the fridge I can heat up for dinner?”

Rose immediately chimed in, “You know, you should come to dinner with us. I’m sure Ben wouldn’t mind. Plus, everything in the fridge needs to be prepared to actually make a meal, and I’m sure you’re not ready for that level of preparation.” Kaydel gave Rose a look Rey couldn’t decipher, but eventually sighed and nodded along with Rose.

Rey ran back up to her room, taking the stairs two at a time. She grabbed her favorite cropped sweatshirt and shoes, throwing them on. She met the other girls at the front door and walked with them back to the older gymnasium. 

“So where is everyone else?” Rey asked.

Rose turned to her, “They all go into town for dinner on Saturdays. Training doesn’t start till 2 pm tomorrow so they like to be out of sight of the coaches for one night a week.”

“How come you guys aren’t with them?”

“We always eat with Ben. Plus it’s an excuse to make out without their judgemental glares.”

Rey rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, “Jesus, I’m sorry. I hope you guys don’t think that was the way I reacted, I just had no idea you guys were dating.”

Kaydel put her arm around Rey’s shoulder, “It’s totally fine. We’ve been together since we started at this program together. We’re even planning on going to the same college together next fall. We’re practically inseparable now. If we could, we’d probably even do all of our competitions and routines together.”

The trio laughed together as Rey opened the gym door for the group. She followed Kaydel as she walked through another door and up some stairs Rey hadn’t noticed before. Rose pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and walked into a studio apartment that overlooked the gymnasium, much like Luke’s office in the main gym.

“Brother we brought a straggler with us tonight,” Kaydel called into the small space, plugging in some string lights that hung on the walls. “Hope you made enough food.”

“I couldn’t care less what char-” Ben stopped, seeing Rey hovering in the doorway. “Oh, hey Kenobi. Come on in, I’ve got plenty of chicken breast and veggies to go around.”

Rey hesitated, then took a step in, closing the door behind her. She definitely wasn’t going to say no to a fresh hot meal prepared by the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m uploading this from my phone again. 
> 
> Fuck it, amirite ladies and theydies? 
> 
> So uh yeah. Social Distancing can suck my ass, but it’s for the good of society.
> 
> May The Force Be With You.   
> creampiespam

**Author's Note:**

> wow, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! this AU is so fun to me and i can't wait to see what happens. 
> 
> May The Force Be With You.


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